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While we think that our home is our safe haven, in reality, it's probably more dangerous than we realize.
Obvious things like gas-burning stoves and chemical cleaning products aside, there's plenty of questionable stuff lying around that can inflict serious damage on us.
Recently, Reddit user Cool_Kid_Lit_Fam_Sam asked other people on the platform to list these potentially life-threatening household objects and that kickstarted a viral online discussion that has reached 4,400 comments and the number is still growing.
So we compiled some of the most popular replies and present them for your judgment—continue scrolling and upvote the ones you think we need to handle with great caution.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Oven cleaner. Had a friend of the family use it on a warm oven and breathed it in. Messed up her lungs and died in hospital.
We managed to get in touch with the person who made the post and they were kind enough to tell us more about what led to it. "I got the idea for the question from a meme which has two identical cups of blue liquid," Cool_Kid_Lit_Fam_Sam told Bored Panda.
"Behind one of the cups was a bottle of blue mountain dew and behind the other cup was a bottle of Windex. When I saw this I started thinking about how deadly accidentally drinking a cup of Windex would be even though it's an everyday household item that a lot of people have. From this original thought, I turned to Reddit to see what other household objects we were underestimating," the Redditor recalled.
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#2
my mom used to boil a pot of bleach mixed with ammonia every saturday after cleaning. She said it was to “make the house smell clean” surprised im still alive
#3
Not sure if this is entirely related but i feel like it’s surprising that most people don’t know that you can’t put out a grease fire with water
Cool_Kid_Lit_Fam_Sam believes it's easy to forget that many household objects are, in-fact, life-threatening because of the status these items have in our lives.
"The word 'household objects' means objects or items that most people have around their home. Whether it's a sponge or a broom these are things most people have in their homes which makes it interesting when you think about how these everyday items could end up being the death of you. Also may I add, most people would not think these items could hurt and/or kill them due to how accessible they are, which adds to the interest of it."
#4
I have an important story!!
When my dad was a kid, one of his good friends died by inhaling Pam cooking spray. The boy was a good, smart kid and just thought inhaling Pam would get you a little high, like sniffing a Sharpie or whatever. But Pam coats your lungs and very quickly suffocates you if you breathe it in. He had no idea how dangerous it was and he was dead in minutes. It was absolutely devastating for everyone who knew him.
TLDR; never ever inhale Pam and be very careful leaving it around kids! Make sure your kids are aware that it is deadly!
#5
My wife's favorite pans.
See you with a metal utensil anywhere near it, and she will kill you.
However, according to the National Safety Council, over the last 10 years, American home and community deaths have increased by 76%, and the death rate per 100,000 people has increased by 66%.
In 2020, an estimated 156,300 preventable injury-related deaths occurred in the country's homes and communities, or about 78% of all preventable injury-related deaths that year.
The number of deaths was up 18.9% from the 2019 total of 131,400. An additional 46,800,000 people suffered non-fatal medically consulted injuries.
The leading cause of death American homes and communities is poisoning (56%), followed by falls (26%).
#6
Doesn't exactly kill but can f**k your hand up for life so remember kids:
A falling knife has no handle.
Cool_Kid_Lit_Fam_Sam is inclined to think that these tragedies are a result of "people being people."
"As stated before, most folks would not see [their homes] as outright dangerous henceforth they shall let their guard down until... They've accidentally crafted an extremely poisonous gas or simply missed a step on their ladder."
#8
Candles. Just because they're trendy and smell nice, doesn't mean they're not still a naked flame that can cause a housefire that can kill you in your sleep.
Trisha Howson 2 years ago
Don't leave candle burning while your alsleep or away. Keep a close eye on them
#9
Pressure washers. The jet immediately penetrates the skin, injecting whatever's inside the washer or lining the washer into the blood stream. Even new, first time use cases can cause severe damage to the body. Do NOT play with pressure washers.
Kathryn Baylis 2 years ago
If a pressure washer on the strongest setting can peel paint off your car, it gives you a really good illustration of what it can do to YOU. No horsing around with a power washer, people. It. Is. NOT. A. Toy!
#10
Unsecured free-standing shelves are pretty dangerous, ESPECIALLY for kids who might try to climb on them.
#11
Cold and flu products/pain killers containing paracetamol . You’re suffering. You taken paracetamol, then lemsip, then more paracetamol, then more lemsip etc, before you know it you’ve had 8g of paracetamol. Your liver starts to fail.
Read medicine labels. Don’t mix paracetamol products.
#12
I used a mold removing product in my shower. Noticed a wierd unpleasant smell and didn't feel well. Checked whats in the product and quickly realised I almost killed myself.
Moral of the story. Don't pee in the shower or make sure you know your chemicals and how they can react with other chemicals... Or p**s.
MonkeyInTheMiddle 2 years ago
If you do put chemicals or something in the shower then you can wash it out before your next shower/bath because then if you pee, you don't die
#13
A peanut
The number of idiots who think it is so cool to catch peanuts in their mouth. The risk of it sailing into your lungs is far higher than you think.
MonkeyInTheMiddle 2 years ago (edited)
NO ONE'S STOPPING ME FROM EATING MY CRUNCHY PEANUT BUTTER!!! (I will be careful though)
#14
Dryer lint causes nearly 3,000 fires every year. Source: Karen Kilgariff’s dad.
#15
Wet floors, usually bathrooms. Anything that can make hitting your head easier can kill.
Also, rotten potatoes exhale a gas that can be bad if you are in a closed room with a fairly large amount of them. It can kill within seconds.
Brew did a video about it on YouTube.
#16
Magnets. Toddlers will put *anything* in their mouth. If they swallow one magnet, they’ll likely be fine. If they swallow two, they can have intestinal perforation. Without the words to communicate what’s wrong, it can easily be deadly
Nadine Debard 2 years ago
Same with button cells (batteries) they can leak and kill the child within a few minutes
Robert T 2 years ago (edited)
Not leak. The throat, stomach, intestine etc are all wet and it forms a circuit, which causes caustic chemicals to form by electrolysis. The battery will literally burn through the flesh. See https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-08-button-batteries-killhere-needless-child.html
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Spannidandoolar 2 years ago
My son swallowed a magnet a few months back, luckily he told us immediately and it was only 1. Took him straight to hospital and they monitored it to make sure it was on its way out. When he got home we had a fun game called find the magnet with an old kebab skewer after he'd visited the toilet.
Jessica Shookhoff 2 years ago
You are an absolute legend! Being a parent is so fun sometimes, right?
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Dan Padgett 2 years ago
On that topic, watch batteries. Those small coin sized ones. Supppper deadly for kids.
Gloria Bethallen 2 years ago
I did swallow a good sized magnet as a kid. I was playing with a dump truck toy and dumped it into my mouth. Yikes.
#17
The two most common types of accidental death in the home are falls in bathtubs and from ladders.
#18
A humidifier
I thought I cleaned it well but apparently you need to drown it in bleach and or hot water to get all that bacteria out from giving you a severe lung infection
Stoopham McFernybabes 2 years ago
Leaving it out in the sun to dry will achieve ALOT! Also, pretty sure the thing in the picture is diffuser, not a humidifier.
#19
Because it hasn’t been said here yet … F*****G STAIRS
I’ve fallen down stairs at my work , banged my head and woke up in the hospital…. I wasn’t running down them , one f*****g loose floor board on the edge made me fall down 6-8 steps
#20
you should clean ur toaster bc if too many bread crumbs collect they could actually catch fire thru the heat of the toaster.
#21
Car jack.
If it fails and you didn't use jack stands, and you can't bench press a couple thousand pounds..... you gonna die.
#22
Lift cords on blind windows. I've heard alot of stories of children getting tangled in them by the neck and dying. They have cordless blinds now so those are way better.
InvincibleRodent 2 years ago
This is why all of mine were tied up in a (messy, but tall) knot- I don't ever want to come home to a cat tangled up in those and hurt.
#23
A toilet. Saw a picture once of a woman who stood on a toilet to change her bathroom lightbulb, the toilet broke in half and when she fell the toilet cut her back wide open and she bled out. You could see everything inside of her, brutal.
#24
Cheap extension cords and power strips, especially ones without built in fail-safes that trip them if they are overloaded. The number of people who I see using those cheap, brown, dollar store extension cords, loading up every single available outlet, and leaving them plugged in 24/7 for years on end, makes me cringe.
Matt MacFarlane 2 years ago
That's one reason arc fault circuit interrupters are mandatory for living spaces and bedrooms in Canada.
#25
Apparently people can die from hair dryers catching fire. Because they sleep with them.
Reading warning labels on household objects really gets me questioning how humans aren't all dead from idiocy.
Stephanie Did It 2 years ago
So THAT'S why they all come with the Do Not Use While Sleeping warning. I never could envision why. No desire for a Darwin award, I guess
#26
Eye drops, like the kind that removes redness. Slipped into a drink for example even a small amounts can cause cardiac issues or even death as the vasoconstricting properties can stifle blood flow to the heart
#27
Microwaves. There's a reason they have a warning to not f**k with them even if they're not plugged in- you can still absolutely get fried if you open it up to mess with it. You're not safe just because it's unplugged.
Matt MacFarlane 2 years ago
There's a transformer and capacitor inside that produces and stores 4000 volts. The microwave tube ( magnetron) uses little insulators made from beryllium oxide. If you break up those insulators the beryllium oxide aerosolizes, youi inhale it, get an incurable lung disease.
#28
Gas oven, we have cheapo oven where the stove top burner controls aren't the ones you have to push in to release and adjust, the amount of times I have smelled the gas because someone brushed against the damn oven and slightly opened a valve on one of the burners...I'm just glad I have the doors open most of the time.
Don't know if it counts but gas fireplace heaters are dangerous if they are not properly checked by a qualified maintenance tech, or in the case of my high school friend the gas appliance engineer took a bribe from the landlord's son, and my friend died from carbon monoxide poisoning as a result, arseholes got suspended sentences but ten year probation.
#29
People who are left handed using everyday items that were designed to be used with your right hand
#30
Food.
Improperly handling just about any food can easily kill you or leave you wishing you were dead.
Bernd Herbert 2 years ago
Oh, and I remember another interesting case from some years ago here in Germany: A man grew his own zucchini (courgette) in his garden. After a meal, during he complained that it was quite bitter, he died. Turns out that zucchini and other squash-like plants have a poisonous substance that we humans have bred out of them. In individual cases, however, they may contain the toxin due to back mutation and backcrossing. I always think of that when people are claiming that "natural" or "organic" products are the most healthy thing, whereas in reality nature really doesn't like to be eaten by us. And plants have only a few ways of protecting themselves from being consumed, and poison is really the way to go for them
#31
Lithium batteries, idk if this is a normal household object but it burnt my whole 3200 sq ft house in 30 mins
#32
Dinner plate.....let me explain.
Went to sleep watching TV on the couch😴
Woke up and decided to go to bed but tripped over the vacuum cleaner and fell face forward onto the corner of the coffee table.
I had left my plate from dinner there. Plate broke in half as I fell and sliced me open from lower right rib the top of left pelvis.
60km ambulance ride, hospital and surgery to put me back together.
#33
Garage door opener - specifically the springs. Those springs have a crapload of tension in them and if you mess with them they can mess you up. I had a contractor working at the house and he set up his work area in the garage. While he was working, one of the springs just broke on its own. He was okay, but he said it was so loud he thought a car had crashed into the garage.
#34
Cutting boards. Cross contaminations a b***h if you have a bad immune system
Libby Tailor 2 years ago
I use different cutting board for meat and meat only (I havefive different cuttong biards)
#35
Acetaminophen (Tylenol).
OD’ing on it only takes about twice the amount on the box’s directions, which is very low compared to other common medications. Its negative effects are kidney failure, which starts with kidney pains, but quite quickly leads to a painful death.
It is scarily common. People first take Tylenol for a good reason but they take too much, so they start feeling kidney pain, so they take more Tylenol for that kidney pain, because they think it’s harmless and should help to feel good. By the time it gets bad enough that they go to the ER, they’re already dead, their body just doesn’t know it yet.
Always follow medication directions, particularly on Tylenol.
Foxxy says goodbye. 2 years ago
When I took an overdose on paracetamol, the Dr and mental health specialist explained how lucky I was. Apparently majority of the time paracetamol overdoses don't kill you, instead it causes severe issues with your liver and kidneys making you very sick. I was very fortunate I have no long term effects, probably helped that I got seen to pretty quickly after taking them.
#36
My brother's father in law died falling off a ladder. He wasn’t even high up, just fell badly. His wife (a nurse) tried CPR, but he didn’t make it. He had no other health problems
Laura Jackson 2 years ago
I fell 2.5-3 feet off a ladder onto a tile floor landing squarely on my back. I'm now fused from my second lumbar vertebrae to the first sacral vertebrae and had to retire way too early (age 34) and go on disability.
#37
An air compressor not maintained can explode.
Funhog 2 years ago
Air contains moisture. Air compressors are metal. Over time, moisture accumulates and causes metal to rust. Rusted areas in an air compressor are weakened. Charging a weakened air compressor up to high pressure causes it to blow out; lots of shrapnel. Air compressors have manual valves designed to empty any accumulated moisture.
#39
A stovetop espresso maker.
The method of operation is the water in the bottom chamber boils, and the steam pressure pushes up the hot water through the coffee grounds into the upper pot.
There is only one safety on these things, and it's the valve on the water tank. If the water is filled too high so it covers the valve, you've made a pipe bomb. If the coffee is ground too fine or tamped and the safety valve is blocked it WILL explode and send boiling coffee and water everywhere.
Luckily this is very easily avoidable. Never fill the water over the safety valve, and never tamp the coffee in the basket.
#40
Due to certifications like UL, and GFCI outlets in kitchens and bathrooms, there is way more safety built into things than decades ago. Certain woodworking tools are the first to come to mind, but most people realize they are dangerous. Using a table saw wrong and having it launch a board at your face? Or pulling yourself down onto it could easily cause fatal injuries if someone isn’t around to offer quick medical assistance. Lathes, mills, or drill presses can be super dangerous if they snag any loose clothing or hair and pull you in. It seems the people who are least aware of the danger are people who are fairly new to using them so they know the basics but end up overconfident and assume they know everything they need to know.
Aidan Pite 2 years ago
I used to have a circular saw that had a busted spring on its blade guard, so you had to manually pull it back. I would set it where I wanted to cut, pull it back, then turn it on, and when I was done, I would wait until it stopped spinning before setting it down. One day my neighbour (who works in construction and (you'd think) was very experienced in using tools safely) asked to borrow it. He used a stick to prop the guard completely open. I figured he knew what he was doing, and didn't say anything. Whelp, after making the cut, habit kicked in and he just set the thing straight on the ground without waiting for it to stop spinning, with the guard wide open. Damn near chopped his foot off. Never lent him another tool again.
#42
Inserting a copper penny into a screw-in fuse box circuit as a "temporary measure" until replacement fuses can be obtained.
Matt MacFarlane 2 years ago
Yes..suddenly your circuit designed to carry only 15 amps will now carry whatever the main breaker is rated at..typically 100 amps. Serious damage, fire, burns...don't. Just don't.
#43
A garbage disposal sink, seriously if you have long hair and it gets caught in it your in trouble
Bernd Herbert 2 years ago
One of the weirdest things American households have. Still don't get why you should have that in the first place.
#44
Cupboard door. One fast wrong turn and a lucky corner shot to the temple and you’re done.
Laura Jackson 2 years ago
Corner of the fridge doors, too. I was putting away groceries and had dropped something meant for the freezer. I bend over to pick it up and didn't realize the freezer door had swung shut a bit. When I quickly stood up the side of my head caught the sharp corner. I come to minutes later in a surprisingly large pool of blood and with a massive headache. I was treated for a concussion and also received 8 sutures and 4 staples.
#45
Smoke detectors, if you forget to change the battery or you don’t check if your smoke detector is still working, undetected smoke at night when you are sleeping could kill you.
#46
Every electrical appliance and outlet because it only takes about 10ma of current to start causing a heart to stop beating. And most homes have at least 100 amp main breakers and I know my place has a 200 amp main, they won't pop when it kills you either.
Tons of the stuff in our homes has some sort of plastic in it. They get hot and can give off fumes that will at the very least make us sick and may even start to smoke but not be hot enough to cause the smoke to rise to set off a smoke detector.
Robert T 2 years ago
Then the design of your wiring system is woefully inadequate. In the UK we spilt things down into separate circuits with no more than about 30A on them. In addition to that all electrical appliances are fused appropriately to the current draw of the appliance at the plug, so 13A for a vacuum cleaner or kettle, 5A for smaller devices and 1 or 2A for things like table lamps. And that is in addition to an RCD (Residual Current Device) which will trip out if it detects an imbalance between the current going down the live and coming back through the return (i.e. current leaking to earth). Oh, and most things are grounded and the sockets have switches as well.
#47
I remember all the boilers being super dangerous when I was younger. I can't really remember why because they where being fazed out in the UK when I was growing up but it was either carbon monoxide or they could blow up
Matt MacFarlane 2 years ago
Boilers are pressure vessels. An improperly operated boiler is a bomb waiting to go off.
#48
Too much of certain spices. Some spices contain small amounts of exotic substances, that when consumed too much of, can easily cause organ failure.
InvincibleRodent 2 years ago
I definitely want to hear a more concrete explanation of this one, lol.
#49
The breaker box is about as dangerous as can be by design code changes.
Matt MacFarlane 2 years ago
Still lots of old breaker panels out there that are seriously hazardous..like the old Bulldog Pushmatics.
#50
An outlet and a fork.
What do you think ?
Daria Z 2 years ago
Most of these can be reduced to plain misuse or lack of maintenance. RTFM people!
Leo Domitrix 2 years ago
Upvote 1,000,000 times. The number of people who won't just read a label or manual or think it won't happen to *them*... Well, I've done a lot of sutures, let's just say that.
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The Problem With Censorship Is ******* 2 years ago
I stopped reading these halfway... I thought I was going to be enriched with useful knowledge, but while that still turned out to be true, I found out that I don't need this kind of worry in my life.
Eastendbird 2 years ago
Felt like they were building up to the final entry in the list just someone screaming "WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!"
Matt MacFarlane 2 years ago
Hot water heaters..some people will plug the relief valve because it drips. An overpressured tank will destroy a house.
Dr. Carlos Dangercat 2 years ago
I know TWO people who have gotten serious (think surgery) eye injuries from resistance bands and one has permanent damage. The bands snapped or came untied and hit them in the face while they were wearing glasses.
Mad McQueen 2 years ago
Was cleaning my moms small kitchen one day. Super dirty greasy linoleum. So hot water an ammonia to get the grease in my head. Hey add bleach to whiten it. Add that. Scrubbing low on the floor. Ugh it's making me cough. Stand up an breathed in mustard gas. Just enough sense to get out side an open windows. Sat on steps as older cousin comes by on a walk. He knows the smell from Korean War. Said I was really lucky to get out. Btw kitchen was about wide enough to open oven door and stand and maybe 3 x as long. 3-5 more min I would have been face down passed out an just sucking it in then dead. So yeah don't mix bleach w ammonia. Like cleaning in the shower w bleach products running on off the walls to the drain an u take a tinkle in there before finishing w a shower. U can burn the f**k out of your lungs and not know it. Ventilation is the savior of cleaning products. My lungs are still messed up an I can't stand bleach smells or I take it for a week.
MonkeyInTheMiddle 2 years ago
Putting/setting something over a vent in the wall or floor is probably not a good idea either. It's something that's in most houses and some simple knowledge would be to not have your house burn down when you're shopping or something
DumYum 2 years ago
Please make sure you have a carbon monoxide alarm in the house especially if you have an attached garage. So many people especially the elderly leave their cars running and because of hearing issues don’t realize it. Then they go to bed and never wake up. My mother used to leave her car running and not realize it, luckily never in her garage (too much junk). And she didn’t believe me when I would come over, notice it and show her. Got her off the road almost 10 years ago.
Sylvia Schmitz 2 years ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJNR2EpS0jw&t=1s I leave that here as the soundtrack to this thread.
tragicaltales 2 years ago
I once tripped over my laundry basket, fell backwards and hit my head on my bed frame, and gave myself a minor concussion. Evil laundry basket
Daria Z 2 years ago
Most of these can be reduced to plain misuse or lack of maintenance. RTFM people!
Leo Domitrix 2 years ago
Upvote 1,000,000 times. The number of people who won't just read a label or manual or think it won't happen to *them*... Well, I've done a lot of sutures, let's just say that.
Load More Replies... The Problem With Censorship Is ******* 2 years ago
I stopped reading these halfway... I thought I was going to be enriched with useful knowledge, but while that still turned out to be true, I found out that I don't need this kind of worry in my life.
Eastendbird 2 years ago
Felt like they were building up to the final entry in the list just someone screaming "WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!"
Matt MacFarlane 2 years ago
Hot water heaters..some people will plug the relief valve because it drips. An overpressured tank will destroy a house.
Dr. Carlos Dangercat 2 years ago
I know TWO people who have gotten serious (think surgery) eye injuries from resistance bands and one has permanent damage. The bands snapped or came untied and hit them in the face while they were wearing glasses.
Mad McQueen 2 years ago
Was cleaning my moms small kitchen one day. Super dirty greasy linoleum. So hot water an ammonia to get the grease in my head. Hey add bleach to whiten it. Add that. Scrubbing low on the floor. Ugh it's making me cough. Stand up an breathed in mustard gas. Just enough sense to get out side an open windows. Sat on steps as older cousin comes by on a walk. He knows the smell from Korean War. Said I was really lucky to get out. Btw kitchen was about wide enough to open oven door and stand and maybe 3 x as long. 3-5 more min I would have been face down passed out an just sucking it in then dead. So yeah don't mix bleach w ammonia. Like cleaning in the shower w bleach products running on off the walls to the drain an u take a tinkle in there before finishing w a shower. U can burn the f**k out of your lungs and not know it. Ventilation is the savior of cleaning products. My lungs are still messed up an I can't stand bleach smells or I take it for a week.
MonkeyInTheMiddle 2 years ago
Putting/setting something over a vent in the wall or floor is probably not a good idea either. It's something that's in most houses and some simple knowledge would be to not have your house burn down when you're shopping or something
DumYum 2 years ago
Please make sure you have a carbon monoxide alarm in the house especially if you have an attached garage. So many people especially the elderly leave their cars running and because of hearing issues don’t realize it. Then they go to bed and never wake up. My mother used to leave her car running and not realize it, luckily never in her garage (too much junk). And she didn’t believe me when I would come over, notice it and show her. Got her off the road almost 10 years ago.
Sylvia Schmitz 2 years ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJNR2EpS0jw&t=1s I leave that here as the soundtrack to this thread.
tragicaltales 2 years ago
I once tripped over my laundry basket, fell backwards and hit my head on my bed frame, and gave myself a minor concussion. Evil laundry basket
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